‘25,000 people would require liver transplants every year in Pakistan’

Islamabad : At least 25,000 people would require liver transplants every year due to complications of Hepatitis B&C infections in Pakistan, experts warned on Thursday and urged authorities to learn from the experience of Egypt, which has wiped out viral hepatitis within a few years by showing political will and determination.

“With 13 million people infected with Hepatitis B and C in Pakistan, more than 25,000 people would require liver transplants due to liver cirrhosis and other complications caused by viral hepatitis every year. At the moment, not more than 1,000 liver transplants are carried out throughout the country in a year”, Prof. Dr. Saeed Hamid, a renowned gastroenterologist and head of clinical trials at Aga Khan University Hospital told a dialogue on “Towards a Hepatitis-free Pakistan”, here a local hotel in Islamabad.

The dialogue was organized by Roche Diagnostics Pakistan and it was attended by senior gastroenterologists and haematologists including Prof. Dr. Saad Khalid Niaz, Prof. Dr. Huma Qureshi National Focal Person for Viral Hepatitis, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on health Mahesh Kuma Malani, Prof. Shehla Zaidi from Aga Khan University, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) Dr. Quaid Saeed, Sindh Healthcare Commission Chief Executive Dr. Ahson Qavi Siddiqui, Prof. Dr. Nasim Akhtar from PIMS and other senior health officials.

Prof. Saeed Hamid maintained that around 24,000 people die in Pakistan due to complications of viral hepatitis which include chronic liver disease, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, which is most common type of liver cancer and urged authorities in Pakistan to learn from the experience of Egypt which wiped out viral hepatitis within a few years and became an example for the countries like Pakistan.

Senior gastroenterologist from Egypt Dr. Wael Abdel-Razek said his country had highest prevalence of Hepatitis C in the world a few years back but the country’s leadership decided to control and manage the viral ailment and within a few years, Hepatitis C has nearly been wiped out from the soil of the country.